Wanted TTP commander killed as police foil DI Khan attack

PESHAWAR: Police killed a highly wanted commander of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) during an operation in Khyber district, while security personnel foiled a separate attack on a police station in Dera Ismail Khan after an exchange of fire with armed assailants.

The developments came a day after 10 police personnel, including a deputy superintendent of police and a sub-inspector, were killed in a terrorist attack on a police team in Kohat. Eighteen suspected terrorists were also killed during the ensuing exchange of fire. The police team had been returning from an operation against illegal gold mining in the Gambat area when it came under attack.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed said the wanted TTP commander, identified as Saifullah, was killed during an operation in the Bara Sheikhhan area of Khyber district.

According to a police statement, Saifullah was affiliated with the group described by authorities as Fitna Al-Khawarij. He was wanted by police and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in several serious cases and had been declared a proclaimed offender. Investigators said he had been staying in Afghanistan for the past three years to avoid arrest.

CTD records linked the slain commander to attacks on several security checkpoints in the Maidanak area. He was also allegedly involved in improvised explosive device attacks at Ali Masjid in Jamrud.

Police said Saifullah had recently returned from Afghanistan as the commander of a terrorist group with plans to carry out attacks in Pakistan. He was killed after an exchange of fire with police personnel.

Two police officers suffered minor injuries when suspected terrorists launched a grenade attack during the operation. They received first aid, according to the statement.

IGP Hameed praised the police team for eliminating the wanted commander and said the operation had prevented potential attacks and saved innocent lives. He added that security operations would continue until the country was cleared of terrorism.

In a separate incident, police foiled an attack on Band Korai Police Station in Dera Ismail Khan late Wednesday night. Armed attackers reportedly rammed an explosives-laden pickup truck into the station’s main gate, causing an explosion that damaged the building’s boundary wall and a nearby mosque.

A police spokesperson said the attackers also used heavy weapons during the assault. However, officers responded immediately and forced them to retreat before they could enter the police station.

The spokesperson credited the alertness of police personnel, security arrangements and timely response for preventing the attack. No casualties were reported, and all officers deployed at the station remained safe.

Dera Ismail Khan District Police Officer reached the site shortly after the incident and reviewed the security situation and arrangements.

The latest incidents come amid a series of attacks targeting police and security personnel across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in recent months.

On October 8, Station House Officer Daud Khan and his gunman, Farhad, were killed when armed men opened fire on a police patrol near the Karak-Kohat boundary. Earlier, on September 28, three traffic police personnel lost their lives in an attack on their vehicle in Tank district.

On September 25, CTD Constable Muhammad Afaq was killed and three other personnel were injured during an intelligence-based operation against suspected suicide attackers in Peshawar’s Garhi Sherdad area.

Another major attack occurred on September 18, when an explosion followed by an assault at Kohat Police Lines killed 15 police personnel among 23 victims. Eight attackers were killed during the subsequent clearance operation.

The growing security challenge is also reflected in national and provincial data. Figures from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), an international conflict-monitoring organisation, show that terrorist attacks in Pakistan increased nearly fourfold, rising from 658 in 2022 to 2,425 in 2025.

The threat has continued into 2026. Two security reports presented to the federal cabinet in October showed that terrorist incidents in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa increased by 195 per cent between March 2024 and September 2026.

The reports further stated that police and security personnel were the targets of 73 per cent of attacks recorded in the province during 2026. They also highlighted the growing use of drones and improvised explosive devices by militant groups.